Focus Areas

This is a promising time for cancer researchers as recent advances in molecular biology and genomics, such as decoding of diverse cancer genomes and identification of key molecular processes and signaling pathways, have enhanced our understanding of cancer cells, and opened the door for the development of new therapies and diagnostic tools.

Students in the cancer focus area will be interested in combating cancer through research. Coursework will take an integrative, translational approach to all aspects of neoplastic disease, from its basis in molecular cell biology (including genetics, stem cells, invasion and metastasis, and immune surveillance) to an integrative view of the tumor environment and novel cancer diagnosis and treatment tools (biomarkers, drug design, screening, and personalized medicine), as well as its social, psychological, and economic consequences.

Health Implementation Science is an emerging field located at the far end of the clinical translational continuum -- focused on scientific inquiry about the “uptake” of major medical and health discoveries by practitioners and policymakers, and their impact on the well-being of individuals and communities. This field, which is strongly endorsed by the National Institutes of Health, The Institute of Medicine, and The National Research Council, has emerged to help ensure that the investments and progress made in basic science and clinical research yield their full impact. Other federal agencies also fund work on this end of the translational continuum as they focus on dissemination of evidence-based public health programs and models. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Students in this focus area will learn the basic terminology and explore approaches from a range of specialty fields -- including public health, health literacy, information dissemination, health systems research, community-engaged and community-based participatory research, health economics, and health disparities research –- and explicitly connect them to conduct implementation science. Students will understand the pathway from discovery of efficacious treatments or preventive interventions to their extension to clinical and community-based practice and the measurement of patient-oriented outcomes.

The world is now becoming a smaller place for microbes, as emerging and re-emerging diseases continue to catch the world off guard, and many medicines are losing their effectiveness. Thus it is critical to train a new generation of scientists to address today’s challenges of fighting infectious diseases around the globe, as well as to advance our understanding of how the immune system fights infections. The immune system is also critical for fighting tumors, and its dysfunction can lead to problems such as automimmune disease, the second highest cause of chronic illness in the U.S.

Students in this focus area will learn to integrate our current understanding of immune mechanisms and microorganisms that contribute to healthy function, the causes and mechanisms leading to dysfunction, and current evolving approaches to therapy and therapeutic development. This includes contemporary and emerging pathogens (viral, bacterial, parasitic, and other), the human immune response, current techniques for the development and delivery of novel therapeutic and prophylactic drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines, as well as the social, psychological, and economic consequences of infectious and immune diseases.

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including sudden cardiac death, heart failure, and diabetes, are among the leading, costliest, and often preventable causes of death worldwide. Research aimed at understanding mechanisms of arrhythmia in heart disease and the relationship between cardiovascular disease, obesity, and metabolic risk factors, will be important for developing candidate therapeutic, reparative, and prevention strategies.

Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of cardiovascular physiology from the molecular to the whole organism level, and the interrelationship between metabolism and the cardiovascular system. This will include topics such as cardiovascular function and regulation, principle energy systems, appetite and energy expenditure, and including the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and socioeconomic impact of cardiometabolic diseases, with an emphasis on the translation of basic scientific discoveries into practical applications.

The human brain remains one of the most complex and mysterious structures in existence. It allows us to think, remember, feel, and execute coordinated movements, and interfaces with many other systems in the body to regulate processes such as  heart rate, growth, and appetite. Unfortunately, there are over 1,000 disorders of the brain and nervous system, which result in more hospitalizations and lost productivity than any other disease group, including heart disease and cancer. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that neurological disorders affect up to one billion people worldwide.

Students entering this focus area will have an interest in reducing this neurological burden and promoting healthier nervous system function, through basic, applied, and clinical research. They will develop an understanding of the biological processes that undergird a healthy nervous system and cognitive function, the causes and mechanisms of dysregulation that lead to dysfunction, and current and evolving approaches to therapy and novel therapeutic development.